Lionel Legacy E-8

Thats why i stick with 2 rail brass.

Here's some pictures of the Lionel E8, MTH E8, and a 3rd Rail E7. The Lionel is on the right, MTH in the center, and 3rd Rail on the left. Each one has a different representation of the nose. Which one is more correct, I don't know. It's up to the purchaser to decide which manufacturer's version looks "correct".

 

 

 

Ken

Actually people started commenting on this from the point at which the Lionel catalog pictures came out last year! They were only Photoshop images but it was clear that there were, er, discrepancies in the cab/roof treatments.

 

This didn't deter me as I wanted the Santa Fe set but if it's scale accuracy you want in a 3-rail version there is really no alternative to Sunset 3rd Rail's models, as I think you can see in the photos above. The downside is the relative lack of sound/light/smoke features compared with Legacy or indeed MTH's models.

Good pictures and a clear comparison.  Thanks.  I realize the tiny descrepencies from the prototype concern some people but not me. 

 

I have a 3rd Rail E& (ToT) which I think is very accurate, and the recent Legacy E-9s (Union pacific A-A set) which look good and have the UP-specific snow guards on them, and a matching MTH B unit that does not have snow guards (yet), with the recent MTH Premier E-8s, (A-B-B-A set ATSF Warbonnet), and have absolutely no complaints about any of them.  Prototypical or not, they are all lovely.  I saw a lot of these locos growing up, and frankly the 3rd Rail, Lionel and MTH all look fine to me.

"whats up with that cab?"

 

I give up after looking: what?

 

Looks fine to me.

Really you dont see it? Take a closer look


       

The biggest problem for me is the windshield glass on the Lionel with the line across it.  Once it was pointed out to me, I can't seem to take my eyes off it.  It is shame too because I love Legacy and it's sound.

 

Art

Guys, they are TOY trains.  If they were full blown scale models they would have diesel motors and run on diesel fuel and not low voltage electricity from a 3 rail track.  I like all of them.  Whenever someone gives excuses for not buying something, I often wonder what the REAL reason is that they are not buying it.

Wiser words have never been spoken!!

Yes, they are just toy trains, but some people were bummed out with the windows on the Lionel, which I think, frankly, should be better even on a toy train.  But I love my set even so and frankly, on the high shelf where I display them, and when running on the layout, your don't notice the windows.

 

It would be kinda cool if they ran on diesel though, wouldn't it?

 

 

True its a toy, but how much more money would it have taken to make them right? Nothing, same cost! As my gramps said, do it right or dont do it at all,

Lee, I believe someone sells diesel smell smoke fluid.

I'm pretty sure we have some forum members skilled in the tool-and-die trade. Am I barking up the wrong tree, or hasn't the EMD E/F unit nose always been a challenge for traditional model company die-making and mold separation? Just something I remember reading somewhere in the HO world.

If so, then compromises have to be made to control manufacturer costs, and maybe the perfect EMD schnozz is an more expensive undertaking without such compromises.

Either way, all the models look fine to me for what they are, otherwise that swinging pilot thingy would be a major annoyance, I tell ya.

 

I am not sure I see the problem.  I enlarged the photos, and about the only thing I noticed was that headlight, and the way it was faired in to the nose.

 

I think these noses, and the PA nose, are often not done correctly, but you will have to tell me more before i see what you see.  If it is just the "glass", then I submit that could be fixed.

Plus - note the anti-climber.  It is almost always misplaced on models with swinging pilots.  No idea why - maybe it is "traditional?"

Hey guys, check out Ebay member hobbyspeed's listing for a Lionel Legacy Santa Fe E 8. The photos are sharp and clear and demonstrate what bothers me about the windshield area of an otherwise beautiful locomotive. Instead of a bulldog nose its more of a pug. Lionel did a great job on the F7 a few years back so I know they have done it well in the past. I'm not a hater, I LOVE TRAINS but feel Lionel has dropped the ball on this one and needs too be called out. Thanks for your participation on this subject, happy modeling Scott.

Thanks. They show up grainy on my iPad, but I can see the windshield has way too much elevation.  Headlight sucks, too.  Good thing I am not a Lionel plastic customer.

For those who wish to compare the fidelity of a model, especially locomotives, sites like railpictures.net afford the opportunity to see photos of the prototype and make  their purchase decision accordingly.

 

In any event, I think Marty's approach is spot on.

 

 

Yeah, the noses of the Lionel engines (from windshield to headlight) seem to be a bit scrunched but not enough to get my attention had I not read the comments here. As for the strange windshield glass... I still can't understand why Lionel has such a hard time with clear plastic window inserts. Passenger car windows especially. I have Fox Valley and Kato N scale cars with correct windows, what's the problem in O scale?  Other than that I have to say the Santa Fe units on eBay are drop-dead gorgeous.

Real E8  nose for comparison.

Personal opinion is that 3RD Rail's E7 is probably closest to the prototypes nose's actual contours, however there are other flaws in all three models that make none of them perfect. It still comes down to what looks good to you.

 

Ken

Diesel exhaust smoke.  I purchased a used ABA K-line engine.  I put it on the layout, crossed my fingers, and hit the throttle.  It's running fine and comes back around and all 3 units are smoking really nice.  Then I finally got that diesel smell, unbelievable.